Environment
What Are Seismic Waves?
Seismic waves are vibrations that carry energy away from an earthquake, explosion or other sudden source. Their speed and path depend on the elastic properties and densi…
Environment
Explore climate, weather, energy, ecosystems, pollution, natural resources and environmental changes affecting regions around the world.
Latest in Environment
Articles & explainers
7,336 published items in this category and its subcategories.
Environment
What Is Plate Tectonics?
Plate tectonics is the framework that explains the large-scale motion of Earth's rigid outer shell. The lithosphere is broken into plates that move over the weaker asthe…
Environment
How Do Volcanoes Erupt?
Volcanoes erupt when magma and gases move from depth toward Earth's surface and pressure overcomes the strength of surrounding rock. The style of eruption depends on mag…
Environment
How Do Earthquakes Happen?
Earthquakes happen when stress accumulated in rocks is released suddenly as a fault slips. Tectonic plates move continuously, but friction can lock parts of their bounda…
Environment
How Do Climate Models Work?
Climate models are mathematical representations of the atmosphere, ocean, land, ice and the exchanges of energy and matter among them. They are built from physical laws…
Environment
What Is the Evidence for Climate Change?
Evidence for climate change comes from many independent measurements rather than one thermometer record. Surface stations, satellites, ocean instruments, ice observation…
Environment
How Do Weather Forecasting Models Work?
Weather forecasting models are computer simulations that estimate how the atmosphere will evolve from an analyzed starting state. They translate physical laws into numer…
Environment
How Do Tornadoes Form?
Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that extend from a thunderstorm to the ground. Most strong tornadoes form from supercell thunderstorms, but not every sup…
Environment
How Do Hurricanes Form?
Hurricanes form over warm tropical oceans when the atmosphere and ocean supply a specific combination of heat, moisture, rotation and organized thunderstorms. In other r…
Environment
Northern Vietnam will experience cold, rainy weather during the Lunar New Year of the Dragon 2024.
On the 27th and 28th of the twelfth lunar month, a cold front will sweep into the North, followed by another intensification on the first day of Tet, bringing cold rain…
Environment
A type of fuel has suddenly 're-emerged' amidst the global energy crisis.
While the whole world is striving to minimize carbon emissions, no one expected this environmentally harmful fuel to suddenly become so popular.
Environment
Northern Vietnam will experience thunderstorms starting from the middle of next week.
The heatwave in the North will end from July 2nd due to a low-pressure trough bringing showers and thunderstorms; mountainous areas should be wary of flash floods and la…
Environment
'Nobody' lands that no country wants
There are still a few places on Earth that are not claimed by any nation.
Environment
Why solar energy is the only viable energy source in the long term
Not only can solar energy completely meet all of the world's energy needs, in the long term it is the only energy source that will not overheat the Earth.